Class of 2021 Records Strong Job Placement

Class of 2021 Records Strong Job Placement

The job market is look very good for Class of 2021 law grads.

The number of full-time, long-term jobs that require bar passage or prefer a JD increased by 11.2% when compared to the Class of 2020, according to data from the ABA. Additionally, as reported by the ABA Journal, 74.2% of the Class of 2021 had full-time, long-term jobs that require bar passage, and 8.8% work in full-time, long-term positions where a law degree is preferred.

“The higher percentage of graduates in the Bar Passage Required or J.D. Advantage jobs likely reflects a modest increase in the number of jobs nationwide, perhaps due to the legal market’s recovery from the impact of the pandemic,” Bill Adams, managing director of ABA accreditation and legal education, says in a press release. “This is encouraging given there was also a 3.8% increase in the number of total graduates.”

BREAKDOWN OF JOBS BY INDUSTRY

Law firms saw the highest number of law school grads with 50.6% 2021 grads. 10.4% of 2021 grads went into government positions and 10% worked in business. 9.6% held clerkships, while 7.7% pursued public interest work.

The Class of 2021 had 35,712 grads in total—an increase from the 34,420 number of grads in the class of 2020, according to ABA employment outcomes.

COLUMBIA LAW TOPS JOB MARKET

96% of Columbia Law School’s Class of 2021 landed permanent, full-time jobs that require bar-passage—the most out of all all 196 American Bar Association-accredited law schools.

The University of Chicago Law School and Duke Law School followed closely, with both schools recording nearly 94% of their 2021 grads into bar-passage required jobs.

At the University of Georgia School of Law, nearly 93% of 2021 grads secured full-time law jobs—a feat that school officials say may have benefited in part from its strong bar prep program and comprehensive mentorship for students.

“It’s a culmination of things,” Tony Waller, assistant dean for career services at the University of Georgia’s law school, tells Reuters. “We feel like we did really well this year in having practice-ready graduates and incredible alumni connections and support.”

Sources: Above The Law,  American Bar Association, ABA Journal, Reuters

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